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Day One Of A Weekend Of Gardens In Indianola, Washington

Last weekend, I traveled to the state of Washington to attend the wedding of my dear friend, Dan Hinkley, and his long-time partner, Robert Jones. You may recall seeing Dan on my television show, sharing his vast knowledge of horticulture. Dan is a plantsman extraordinaire, who travels the world in search of rare and unusual plants, and is well-known for collecting, propagating, and for naming varieties of plants new to the North American nursery trade. Dan and Robert's home and garden are located on the Kitsap Peninsula near Indianola, WA and I always love visiting.

1 On our way to Seattle, we flew over Mount Rainier, which ascends to 14,410 feet above sea level. It is the highest mountain in Washington and the Cascade Range and is also an active volcano.

2 After landing, we took a car to Lyn and Jerry Grinstein's house. Here I am on their dock waiting to be picked up by a float plane and taken to Indianola.

3 I found it interesting that they own a Picnic Boat, similar to my own.

4 The views from the dock were extraordinary.

5 Someone pointed out that the float plane was on its way.

6 There it is with Mount Rainier way off in the distance. Because of the mist in the air, Mount Rainier disappeared and reappeared throughout the day.

7 The plane made a smooth landing.

8 I was thrilled for this new adventure!

9 Because the plane bobs on the water, it's a good idea to have people hold the wing up while boarding.

10 I sat as co-pilot.

11 This plane seats six and there were four of us, plus luggage.

12 The other passengers were my friend, Memrie Lewis and my gardener, Ryan McCallister. Memrie, a garden designer, has also known Dan for many years and I wanted Ryan to experience the many wonderful gardens we were to see.

13 A rather clear view of Seattle

14 More of Seattle and the Space Needle

15 The Space Needle, a symbol of Seattle, stands 605 feet tall and is an observation tower.

16 Another view of Mount Rainier

17 A very interesting coastline

18 We even spotted Dan Hinkley's house and his amazing gardens, situated along the coast in Indianola.

19 The float plane landed at the dock of the Grinstein's other house located in Indianola.

20 They have amazing gardens right on the beach. It was low tide.

21 We stopped here, the Indianola Country Store, many times during the weekend for food and drink.

22 It's one of the few stores in town.

23 They make good sandwiches - This one, a French dip, is a roast beef and melted cheese, served with a beef au jus.

24 Later in the day, we dressed for the evening party at Dan Hinkley's house. Here we are in his garden.

25 Dan gave each of the guests a plant label with their name on it and were told to choose a variety of Agapanthus, which he hybridized, to have named after them.

26 I chose this specimen for its good height, great form, and vivid color.

27 I tagged it.

28 Dan's gardens are fantastic and I will share more photos in an upcoming blog. These giant leaves belong to a Gunnera, one of many on the property.

29 The interior decor reflects the surrounding sea.

30 I really love this octopus chandelier.

31 The hors d'oeuvres were a wonderful hummus, crispy fried yellow squash and kale from the garden. It was very good.

32 There were also Tuscan kale chips baked with olive oil, also from the garden.

33 Dinner included this lovely garden salad with purple potatoes, tomatoes, roasted garlic, and topped with a pesto vinaigrette.

34 A gorgeous platter of roasted beets, Indianola feta, and pine nuts

35 Fragrant olive focaccia for dipping in hummus

36 The hummus

37 Grilled lamb kabobs

38 Tzatziki for the lamb

39 Mouth-watering dolmadas

40 The buffet

41 My perfect plate

42 The dining tables

43 The centerpieces were sprouted wheat grass.

44 Dan helping himself to the buffet

45 For some reason, many of the guests were dressed in blue! Even I was wearing blue pants!

46 A very nice shot of me and Dan

47 Dan and his longtime partner and now husband, Robert Jones

48 This celebration was for both of our birthdays.

49 Blowing out the candles

50 It was a lot of fun!

51 The caramel cake was simply the best!

52 There was also a nice assortment of sorbets.

53 And individual blackberry crisps, with fresh berries from their garden

54 Guests were encouraged to sign this book. I wrote, "Martha was here!! So beautiful and delicious!"